When these customers began treating the young woman rudely, I felt compelled to intervene. No one should face discrimination, period—especially not while working hard to earn a living. Workplaces should be spaces of respect, not hostility based on someone’s culture or identity.

I reminded the customers that their behavior was unjustified and pointed out that, if they had an issue with the owner’s hiring choices, they could simply take their business elsewhere. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Discrimination, no matter where it occurs, chips away at the fabric of fairness and equality. Standing up against such injustice, even in small moments, helps us create a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

I envision a future where accountability becomes second nature, where people courageously stand up for what is right and actively work to dismantle prejudice, inequality, and indifference. With accountability as our foundation, we can transform finite disappointment into infinite hope, creating a world where every person has the opportunity to thrive.

The kids were really scared so they went upstairs to tell my elderly mom who supervised them after school.

The guy knocked on our door and my mother confronted him in the hallway, saying, "You're a racist and if you ever threaten my grandchildren or their friends again, I'm going to call the cops on you!"

The kids felt safe to play because they knew my mother had their backs. When my mom died, all those kids, now in their twenties, came to her funeral. Kids remember these acts of resistance and it becomes part of their own moral fabric.

Hope is often expressed in song. The Civil Rights Movement, led by Dr. King, used songs to help people connect to hope. One, We Shall Overcome, is simple, yet powerful. I sing this song whenever I need to open my heart to possibility. Sing the chorus with me now. "We shall overcome, we shall overcome. We shall overcome some day. For deep in my heart I do believe that we shall overcome some day."

I was a teenager in the 1960s. It was a time of change, especially to end segregation. With good fortune,I lived in a community in New York that was open minded and my neighbors wanted change too.

I remember clearly that hot humid day on the huge lawn facing the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. King was to give his speech. I saw people of all colors quietly standing, waiting for Dr. King to speak. We didn’t know what he would say. There was a deep hush and quiet as people waited. I noticed there were many older African-Americans. I realized how brave it was for them to come from the south to be at the march. Clearly, they were aware that coming was a real potential threat to their safety by traveling by bus to the North.

At 16, in these monumental moments, I saw all these people who were committed to end the horrors of segregation. I learned that Dr. King King’s leadership and his commitment to non-violence could make a change in our country. I learned too that this could happen only with the support of millions of people.

Finally, most importantly, we the people, with persistence could make political and social change happen by specific actions to end segregation and discrimation.. It was empowering, and inspiring that we could make real change.

Henriet Nadler Cohen